Customer Reviews

Kickbox - Core Cross Train

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This DVD is really great in a lot of ways, and has many of the things you want from a workout video - beautiful location, great music (much of it a sort of bombay/hiphop/groove), good instruction that emphasizes correct form, well-chaptered, etc.

The only problem (and it's the same problem I have with a lot of these newer Gaiam DVDs) is that there's not really much attention paid to modification, or to people who might have issues like old knee injuries. While there's a lot of kickboxing workouts that are perfectly compatible with a relatively low-impact workout that is safe for your joints (especially your knees), this isn't one of them. There is a ton of twisting, all done in a semi squat position, which is very hard on the knees, and a lot of twisting to full stop, without any guidance on modification, etc.

If you don't have any joint problems I'd say you can probably do this workout and really enjoy it - it is a challenge and a good workout. If you have any knee problems or joint issues, I'd suggest try-before-you-buy if you can.

Patricia Moreno leads this workout and she's really good. She cues well and is motivating. I like that it's filmed outdoors instead of an indoor set - I for some reason find that more motivating because I'm thinking of Summer. It's geared for intermediate to advanced exercisers although the choreography isn't too complicated.
It's a great calorie burning workout that helps increase balance and strength. If you think about it, you can really feel your core engage while doing this. The segments start to get harder as the workout goes on, and I admit I found the kickboxing combos a little challenging and took a while to get more comfortable with it. You'll really feel your muscles the next day for sure. My favourite part of it all though is the stretch at the end. It's so relaxing and deserved after finishing this. I've even done the stretch segment at the end of a day without having done a workout because I find it so relaxing.
Overall, this is a great workout. It will burn fat and get you fitter. I really enjoy it and hope you will too.

I workout almost every day and am always looking for new workouts, but I'm very picky about buying DVDs because too many workouts get old very fast. I really liked this workout, although there are some flaws.

PROS:
* Great cardio workout. You FEEL it in your thighs and abs before the workout is even over. Plus, I like that Patricia Moreno emphasizes how to focus on your core. Too many instructors assume you know this, but it's really good to hear it again so you can get the most out of every exercise/movement.
* No jumping. If, like me, your knees, ankles and feet need a break every now and then, but you still want a cardio workout, this is a good one for those days. I was totally winded at the end my first few times doing it and I'm in pretty good shape.
* Some people hate this, but I really liked Ms. Moreno's affirmations. She has a catch phrase, "if you give 100%, you will improve 100%" that she repeats, but I liked the reminder that I'm going to get back what I put in. If you don't need this, or don't like it, I would say just laugh when she says it, or come up with your own quip to think when she says it.
* Good timing on the moves. By that I mean, she doesn't do any one movement too much at a time, but comes back to the moves in combination so you feel like you are building up to something.
* Some people complain that there are no modifications, but she works into each move from a "base" move, so you can always fall back to that if it gets too hard for your level. As a person with bad knees and feet, I didn't find anything too hard, though sometimes I didn't bend as deep as she did, or kept my moves smaller than hers until I was up to that level.
* The beautiful background (it's filmed outside somewhere in the Southwest US) is really nice. Look for the cars driving in the background. I find that humorous and diverting when I'm having tough days =). The music is also good and not the same old, same old that I've been finding on so many DVDs these days.

CONS:
* My biggest pet peeve with DVDs is when the instructor loses count or is off the music. It doesn't happen often in this video, but she does go off the music a few times, and in the final run through of the cardio core sequence she skips part of the sequence.
* The DVD for some reason doesn't have a PLAY ALL option, so you have to stop and click on each section when you want to progress. Also, the cool down is at the end of the Combination section, so you have to play that section and then fast forward through the chapters if you are doing a shorter workout that day. There is no chapter listing to go there through a menu.

Overall, I think this is a very good workout and something I can do again and again without getting sick of it. If you can, rent it on Netflix or try it out first to see if you agree.

I highly recommend this workout, let me tell you i didnt realize you can get sore by standing in one place Patricia is an excellent insturctor, And i got a good sweat using this dvd, and my stomach and legs were sore for a few days, A must buy

I really don't know how to describe this workout "New Age meets Core Kickboxing?" I felt Positive, Empowered, Strong, and all while working out hard, I was sweating up a storm. I used weighted gloves on 3 out of the 4 workout (Not on the Kicking part)At first it starts out slow and gradually builds up speed, follow the trainer instruction you'll feel it and believe me, it's NOT slow at all. Patricia Demonstrates all exercises and gives excellent pointers and great cuing throughout. My favorite workouts on this dvd the "core energizers" and the Kicks and Combination kicks workout, to be frank the entire dvd is really good. The bonus workout is a very hard core plank workout, that's excellent. I'm glad I got this Unique Kickboxing workout, now I interested in Patricia Moreno other workouts. I give it 5 stars

It seems as though most people give the highest ratings to workout videos to the ones that make you feel like you might die when you finish it. I like a challenge as much as the next person, but if you're like me and you basically hate to exercise in the first place and you're looking for a fun workout that you'll look forward to doing on a regular basis, I can't recommend this video for you. Just trying to perfect the correct form is a challenge and if you're the least bit uncoordinated you're going to have to rewind a couple of times. It is good for beginners because most of the tape is concern with teaching you the basic moves. Once she puts them all together, the combination workout isn't that hard. It certainly motivates you to become a better kickboxer, but it rates low on the fun meter.

I have been working out regularly for about 14 years and bought this on a whim. I've been trying to incorporate at-home workouts on the days I can't or don't want to make it to the gym. I consider myself a pretty tough critic of exercise videos/DVDs.

That said, I was surprised to find myself really sweating with this workout. It's not one of those jumpy-jiggly videos where you pretend to jumprope and all that jazz. It's low impact, but you'll be so surprised at how sore your core is the next day.

Some may find the instructor's incessant talking a little annoying, but I find it useful in keeping my form in check. Perhaps when I do the workout more it'll start to get annoying, but not yet.

I have found that my form has improved with my gym workouts and overall I am using my core more often in other exercises.

Highly recommended!

I absolutely loved this Kickbox workout even though it took me almost 3 weeks to try it once I acquired it. I saw previews of this video on another site, and I thought that it would be entirely too slow for a person who has been involved with cardio kickboxing for about a decade. Even as I turned on the DVD for my morning workout, I was dreading the video and my expectations were LOW. Well, fast forward about 3 minutes, and I realized that this would be a great workout journey!

My heart rate monitor indicated that I was between 55% and 85% of my maximal heart rate throughout at least 80% of the workout! I was impressed, and I liked Patricia's concentration on the core to elicit strong movements. I would highly recommend this video to intermediate to advanced exercisers as a change of pace from traditional cardio kickbox!

As I am always on the lookout for a new workout and instructors to motivate me I had my local library order this for me so I could take it for a test run. This one is definitely on my wish list now. Though some could find Patricia's style too chatty, I thought she had the perfect blend of motivation without constantly talking. She cues the moves well and has good form. The scenery is beautiful with red rocks in the background, shot in Snow Canyon, Utah. The music was fitting to the work-out in my opinion and had a good beat. I have done some Kickbox workouts before and I would say as far as challenging kickbox moves I'd say no, but challenging for my core and working my lower body....absolutely. If you are looking for an advanced "kickboxing" workout though, this may not be what you are looking for. The emphasis here is on cross training and your core.

The workout has several sections, punches (about 13 minutes),core training (about 25 minutes), kicks (about 18 minutes), Combo/Cooldown (9/5 minutes), and an additional bonus workout (about 14 minutes).

The first time I did the workout I did punches & core training and stretched on my own after (there is no extensive cool down until the last segment of the dvd, so I would recommend extra stretching on your own). The next day I did kicks, combo and the bonus. At the end of the week I tried all segments together, making an 80 minute plus workout.

I exercise daily, doing a variety of work-outs-Salsa, Aerobic, Tae-Bo, Yoga, Pilates, etc. and though I thought at first this wouldn't challenge me enough, I found the pace to be aerobic and though the moves weren't hard, the workout definitely kept my heart rate up and worked muscles that I obviously had not recently worked this hard. I most definitely felt my muscles even after a couple days after that first workout (core, butt, arms, and inner thigh).
One caution is to be careful while doing on carpet where you are pivoting you will need to be mindful of not twisting your knee.

In the bonus section, I would caution if you have wrist problems as this section is primarily variations of yoga's "plank" position (looks like the beginning of a push up). I am very familiar with plank as it is part of my yoga practice, but still felt her variations were challenging and will build strong and shapely arms (Who doesn't want that?).

Overall, an excellent workout. I would definitely purchase this item and will also be looking to try more of Patricia's dvds in the future.

This was my first workout with Patricia Mareno as an instructor, and I have to say that, overall, I am very pleased. I tried this workout yesterday, and was impressed with how easy the moves were, but how she really keeps the energy going with these simple moves. There are four main workouts on this DVD, as other reviewers have already explained, and they are all very solid. Here's the breakdown:

The good:

1) This is a nice cardio workout for the most part. It is low-impact (no jumping or plyo moves), and it is nice to see a low-impact workout still raise your heart rate effectively. If you're in reasonable shape, this workout isn't going to make the sweat pour off you, but that doesn't necessarily mean the workout isn't doing what it should.
2) Moves are simple, for the most part, and easy to pick up.
3) The emphasis on the core and how to correctly hold your core was very nice to me, and told me a lot about why I developed some injuries in the past in my lower back. Instruction on that was very helpful.
4) The instructor takes the time to show you a slower form of the move first, and actually lets you practice the move before she speeds it up.
5) I was feeling this workout all over by the time I went to bed--it really works your entire core, if you listen to her instructions on what to do with your belly, shoulders, etc. Great workout if you want to confuse those muscles and break out of a routine.

Needs improvement:

1)I did not find her cueing to be as effective as it could have been. It was better than most instructors, but there were times when I would have appreciated her calling out the moves more often BEFORE they changed. This would be very helpful for when she is putting together all the individual moves into combos.
2) No modifications were shown for the moves. With four people behind her, you'd think at least one of them could have been shouted a reminder to show a modified move!
3) Even though this is low-impact, there are some twisting moves that are had on the knees if you have bad knees. Also, during the first two workouts you're pretty much standing in horse/warrior stance the entire time. This got a little irritating on my hip joints.

Some minor annoyances:

1) Did ANYONE else find the one guy behind her to look a little disturbing? His poofy hair kept distracting me, and it looked like he wandered onto the set and they put him in the video.
2) Nowhere on the DVD packaging does it tell you the length of each of the workouts. (If it's there, someone please tell me where!) I like to know how long segments are so I can plan my workouts.

Overall, I really liked the workout and the instructor. I will definitely be putting this workout in my rotation.